Construction and home improvement projects often require the ability to determine the location of structures hidden from view (e.g., studs, joists, beams, or wires hidden behind a wall board) and/or to survey and mark an area or a surface to guide the construction process. Prior to mounting shelves on a wall, for example, a worker may wish to determine the location of hidden structural members (e.g., studs) behind the wall surface (e.g., sheetrock) which can provide structural support for the shelves and may wish to establish markings on the wall which indicate where the shelves should be anchored and positioned on the wall during installation. Floors and ceilings may be marked to indicate the locations of joists and/or may be marked with guidelines before a covering (e.g., floor or ceiling tile) is installed.
Layout operations are often carried out over large areas. For example, a layout operation for tiling a floor may involve the entire surface area of the floor. Layout operations often involve surfaces and structures that are difficult to access (e.g., high ceilings and ceiling joists). These operations are therefore frequently time consuming and require the participation of more than one worker. There is a need to make layout operations more efficient.